Warning Issued After Man’s Sunscreen Catches Fire On His Body

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Experts have issued a warning after a Massachusetts man suffered second-degree burns by approaching his barbecue grill too soon after applying sunscreen to his body.

Patricia Porter, president and CEO of the Philadelphia-based Burn Foundation, says people may not be aware that spray-on sunscreens are flammable for a short while after application.

(Patricia Porter of the Burn Foundation. Photo provided)

“I think that if he allowed it to soak in before he approached the grill, it might not have been a problem,” she tells KYW Newsradio. “But it’s the fact that he just sprayed it, and it probably has some alcohol content in it, that the fire caught that quickly.”

Listen to (or download) the full interview in this CBS Philly podcast…

Unfortunately, Porter says, the number of burn incidents increases during the summer months, probably because people are in a more relaxed state of mind.

“People are not very careful around their grills. I think that people are not very conscious of what they are doing or what kinds of things they are combining — such as drinking while you are grilling. Alcohol can be combustible.”

Porter says if you ever burned your finger and you know how much that hurts, imagine that pain involving 50 percent of your body.